


Simple Things

by Siana



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 16:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4066687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siana/pseuds/Siana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko will die on his 25th birthday. Akashi makes it his task to fulfill all of Kuroko's wishes before he dies. They embark on a journey around the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simple Things

**Author's Note:**

> I was given the following prompt:
>
>> What if kuroko can only live up to 25 years old bc of a curse or something so akashi and kuroko spend their time together doing kuroko's bucketlist before he dies... Kuroko did not die when he reached 25 so they were happy BUT akashi was diagnosed with an illness and can only live a few months...
> 
> It turned out a bit differently than that. Beware of the feels. 

It had started so simple.

“As much as I am flattered and pleased by Akashi-kun’s confessions, I have to politely decline.”

“And why is that? Surely, Tetsuya is not going to tell me he doesn’t love me?”

“The opposite actually. But I will die when I turn 25. I would hate to leave Akashi-kun on his own.”

“All the more reason to make the most of the time that is left.”

There was no way Tetsuya could have said no to that.

~*~

“Are there any things left Tetsuya wants to do before he dies?” Akashi asks one day, while they are on a date.

 _Being with you_ , is the thought that jumps to the forefront of Tetsuya’s mind. But he would have to lie to say he didn’t have a list of things he wants to do before it is too late. There is a calendar in Tetsuya’s room that marks the days he has left to live. Only so few of them are left now. Next to it is pinned a sheet of paper with all the things he wants to do. It’s a short list, but Tetsuya it feels wrong to start working on it. If he does, the truth of his death will become real. “Too many for what time is left.”

“Don’t say that so lightly.” Akashi smiles. “Time may see fleeting, but just sit down for a minute and do nothing and you will find infinity can be hidden within just a moment.”

“That must have been the cheesiest line I have ever heard.” Tetsuya deadpans.

“But it does hold some truth, does it?” Akashi raises an eyebrow in faint amusement

Tetsuya inclined his head. “It does. But I’m afraid I lack the resources to achieve all of my wishes.”

“And Tetsuya is going to let that stop him?”

Tetsuya huffs a breath, “I want to see the Grand Canyon and be reminded of my frailty as a human being. I want to walk the Chinese walls and see with my own eyes how far humans go to draw a line. I want to climb on top of the pyramids of Giza and subjugate humanity’s greatest achievement with the soles of my feet. I want to be alone on the highest building of the world and feel like a King that looks down on his subjects. I want to travel into space and look down on this planet and feel like a God that holds the fate of billions in his hand.” Tetsuya smiles, but it feels stretched thin and brittle. “I don’t want to die.”

To Akashi’s credit, he doesn’t flinch away from the topic. “How much of that was true?”

Tetsuya’s smile is wry. “That is something Akashi-kun will have to figure out on his own.”

~*~

He finds two tickets for a flight to San Francisco in his mailbox one day. They are in a white envelope with his name on and no stamp on. There is a note with the tickets, it says _since I can’t give you eternity. Even if it is only a shred of happiness, it is worth the world to me._

It is a way too expensive gift, one that Tetsuya couldn’t accept. But Akashi knows him well enough to phrase it in a way that makes rejection impossible.

There are two tickets and no return ticket. What the former means is obvious, but he can only puzzle at the latter.

“San Francisco is only the beginning. I advise to pack heavily.” Akashi says in response to the question. He refuses any more details and that is that.

~*~

San Francisco, as it turns out, is just a pit stop. They spend one day there sightseeing with Akashi acting as a travel guide. Akashi invited him out for dinner in one of the fanciest restaurants Kuroko has ever seen, complete with candle light and violin music. The next day, after Akashi makes love to him to the backdrop of the illuminated Golden Gate Bridge, they board a plane that brings them South to Peru.

Tetsuya stares out of the window during the flight. Outside, the Pacific Ocean lies inky dark under an equally dark night sky, and for a moment Tetsuya feels like they are floating through the nothingness of space. Somewhere in the distance a few lights are scattered, like stars on the endless tapestry of the universe.

“We aren’t going to the Grand Canyon?” He asks Akashi, who has been watching him with a fond expression.

“No. I assume you know more than enough about frailty already,” says Akashi. His solemnity scatters the illusion of weightlessness and Tetsuya feels grounded like he’s bound to rock instead of metal and air.

~*~

Machu Picchu is a patchwork of brown and green crowning the head of a mountain. There is nothing but sky around him and Tetsuya feels small and insignificant. He touches a hand to stone and remembers the might that lies in the palm of that very hand. Akashi smiles at him. He takes his hand. He feels alive.

~*~

They stand at the furthest tip of Cape Horn and watch the waves crash against the rocky cliffs.

“How did you know?” Kuroko asks over the rush of the waves.

“It is a precipice,” says Akashi. “I would want to look at what lies beyond the line I can’t cross.”

He’s not wrong.

~*~

They tandem skydive above the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. For a moment he forgets everything else, but the expanse of endless blue sky and caramel colored dunes. He wouldn’t mind if he were the only person in the world, if this is how it feels.

Then Akashi tightens his arms around him and whispers something in his ear that is lost in the whiplash of wind. He’s not alone. Even if the world consisted only of sand and sky, Tetsuya would not be alone in it.

Life feels so much sweeter in that instant.

~*~

He cries that night in their hotel. Akashi doesn’t ask, jus t holds him through it, doesn’t speak until the storm has passed.

“You may forget this world, but this world will never forget you.” Akashi whispers into the crook of Tetsuya’s neck. And he knows Akashi means a lot more than the words’ surface meaning. He can’t fathom his gratefulness into words, so he kisses it into the stretch of Akashi’s skin and hopes it conveys enough.

~*~

It rains the day they visit the Serengeti. They stand at the edge of the savannah and watch the earth come to life in the span of a few hours. Flowers and grass awake to the call of rain. Animals follow soon after, grazing on the newfound riches the ground provides. A herd of antelopes travel past, quiet, majestic and beautiful. A mother nudges her young one to try on some tufts of grass and it does with all the enthusiasm of childhood.

The sight brings tears to Tetsuya’s eyes, but they’re a different sort of tears.

Life is a wonderful thing.

~*~

This time, he doesn’t ask how Akashi had known.

~*~

They passage to Europe through the strait of Gibraltar. They hop from city to city, Madrid to Barcelona, to Paris, London, Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Vienna and Tetsuya loses track of time and place. He takes in the culture, the food, the people, all the bits and pieces that make up the mosaic pattern of Europe. It’s a rush and Tetsuya wonders if he’ll even remember all of it. But even if he doesn’t, he feels it was worth it anyway.

He remembers the important parts, Akashi’s face illuminated by lantern light as they travel along the channels of Amsterdam. Akashi staring at a painting in the Louvre, entirely lost in thought and yet so much more radiant than all the art around him. Akashi dripping wet after a sudden rain burst in London, red hair hanging in his eyes and looking so young and unburdened that it makes Tetsuya’s heart flutter. No matter how much he wanted to see the places they visit, it is Akashi’s presence that anchors them in his memories - and his heart.

~*~

He doesn’t know what day it is. Too many jumps through time zones, too many foreign places. For the first time, Tetsuya doesn’t know how many days are left. It’s the first time he feels absolutely free.

~*~

They don’t climb on top of the tallest pyramid in Giza, although Akashi alludes to the possibility. But Tetsuya is content just gazing at their might and feel so small and awed at the craftsmanship of people that have been dead for millennia. They watch the sun set, basking the silhouettes of the three pyramids in an orange glow.

Akashi is cast in gold and Tetsuya thinks it suits him. If he had born in ancient Egypt, Akashi would have been a Pharaoh. Tetsuya would have been a lowborn, a commoner, not worth the Godking’s attention. And yet he has no doubt Akashi would have found him and loved him, just like he did in this life.

~*~

They look down on ant-sized humans from the Burj Khalifa and Tetsuya feels dizzy from the height and the distance it puts between him and the world.

“Some people have reported to having divine body transcendence experiences at certain heights. I suppose it invites the notion that humans can be crushed by the heels of one’s shoes. God must feel like this when he looks down on us too.” Akashi says as they stare out on a world that seems so vast and endless and yet so infinitely small.

“But that doesn’t make us gods,” replies Tetsuya. He doesn’t feel like a god. Just like a human.

“No,” Akashi agrees. “But I think I understand what it means to be one.”

Tetsuya feels like his being, his _existence_ is unfolding within his skin, stretching out beyond the confines of his human body until it engulfs the entirety of the planet. “Yes,” he says. He holds up a hand and blots out one of the smaller skyscrapers. It’ gone just like that.

He does feel like a god.

~*~

“I thought my life would be wasted, no matter what.” He says to Akashi one night. “But now I think, how can any life be wasted when it is lived in such a wondrous world?” He doesn’t say more, doesn’t spell out the gratitude hidden in those words. Akashi just smiles and takes his hand and pulls him up.

“Let’s dance.” He says with a gentle smile. Somewhere in the distance a harp plays its sweet, lilting song and Tetsuya wonders if this is all a dream. If it is, he wishes he would remain dreaming forever.

~*~

The Taj Mahal is beautiful. Tetsuya stands a moment and just stares at the sheer beauty of the building. He has seen countless images, but nothing comes even close to the real deal.

“Will you build me something like this?” He asks. Tetsuya is not sure if he is joking.

Akashi smiles and takes his hand. “Of course. If that is Tetsuya’s wish. I would build you the biggest and most beautiful monument in the world. But that is not what Tetsuya wants, is it?”

Tetsuya stares at their reflection in the pool as they stroll along the walkways. Two lovers, holding hands in the face of the biggest proof of love humanity has build. Akashi would do it. Unconsciously he tightens his grip on Akashi’s hand. He would never be forgotten.

“No,” he allows after a moment.

“It is enough, if Akashi-kun remembers me.”

And maybe, he thinks, it really is.

~*~

They are nearing the end of their travels, Tetsuya can tell. It is not just the distance they’ve travelled, the places they’ve seen, but it is also in Akashi’s eyes. He pulls up the calendar on his phone and checks for the first time in ages. It is almost Christmas.

~*~

They see the wall from the plane. It is gigantic, winding like a snake as far as the eyes can see. It occasionally disappears from sight, maybe overgrown or a trick of the light, but Tetsuya can follow it with his eyes until the hazy distance and clouds swallow up his vision.

Tetsuya thought he’d like to see the wall one day. But now as it passes underneath them, he doesn’t really. It’s a wall to keep someone out. He’s seen what’s left of the Berlin wall and all it did was make him feel sad. From up above it’s just a line in the sand, not an insurmountable obstacle. A line, he doesn’t need to be a god to cross.

He falls asleep to the hum of the machine, his head on Akashi’s shoulder. Of all the lines he has to cross, it is the easiest.

~*~

“Happy Birthday, Akashi-kun.”

There is little of worth he can give Akashi, except memories. So Tetsuya has prepared a photo album in secret. It’s a simple album bound in blue and with his and Akashi’s name on it. Inside are all the picture he’s taken, all the little tidbits he’s picked up - feathers, coins, tickets, slips of paper - and in between he has filled it with his words and how much it all meant to him, what he liked and enjoyed and how much he wishes this journey could go on forever.

“Thank you, Tetsuya.” Akashi says with eyes that glint with tears. He traces the pages and pages of pictures of the two of them all around the world. Tetsuya had insisted on as much selfies as possible and Akashi had indulged him with amused patience. It is more than just a memory of Tetsuya, it is a memory of the both of them - together.

~*~

They spend Christmas in Sidney and it is the sweetest Christmas Tetsuya ever had. Despite how warm and sunny it is, despite how misplaced a Christmas tree seems in the sweltering summer heat. They don’t exchange presents. Tetsuya is already gifted enough with the journey itself and Akashi simply watches as Tetsuya adds the most recent additions of pictures to their book.

~*~

They travel the outback for a few days after, ‘for no special reason’, as Akashi had put it. But then, one night Akashi takes him outside and puts a blanket on the ground. Above them, a million stars twinkle down upon them. The night is alive around them with sound and Tetsuya would be scared of what lurks in the dark, but he is too enthralled by the sight above him. Akashi holds on to his hand and explains all the stars and constellations they see. It is a different sky than the one he’s used to from home. And yet, it makes him feel just as small and awed.

“Where do you want to spend New Year’s?” Akashi asks. Tetsuya can’t hide his surprise. It’s the first time Akashi has asked for his input. “There is something left on your list we haven’t done yet, isn’t there?” He can’t see Akashi’s face in the star-lit darkness, but he can hear the soft smile in his voice.

“You mean aside from growing old with Akashi-kun?” Tetsuya says as lighthearted as he can.

Akashi shifts so he lies to face Tetsuya. His fingers brush against his temple and Tetsuya turns his head as well. “If it were possible-“ He starts but cuts off. Tetsuya doesn’t need him to say it. They both know there is no way.

It is again Akashi who breaks the silence, “Did we make the most of it?”

Tetsuya has to think for a moment, before he remembers what Akashi said so long ago. “Yes,” he says and he can’t help the tears in his eyes, “we did.”

“That’s good then.” Akashi whispers and then they kiss under the endless star-dotted night sky.

~*~

Akashi shows him slope point - the southernmost point of New Zealand. The trees are all bent to one side, forced to cower from the relentless wind. It is an eerie sight and one that reminds Tetsuya of both the beauty and frailty of life.

He takes a picture of Akashi standing at the precipice of cliff and sea, wind tousled and smiling that small private smile of his, he has reserved for when he is the happiest.

“It doesn’t matter where we celebrate New Year,” he says to Akashi on their way back. “As long as I am with Akashi-kun.”

“Then how about we go back home?” There is sadness in Akashi’s eyes and Tetsuya pretends he doesn’t see it.

~*~

Tetsuya touches foot to Japanese ground and it feels like he’s waking from a dream. He actually turns and looks at Akashi, because maybe he’s dreamt him too.

~*~

Akashi takes him on top of Skytree on New Year’s Eve. They dine in the restaurant and then watch the fireworks from the observation platform.

This time he doesn’t feel like a god. Maybe it’s the tranquility of the night sky blossomed with colored fire, or maybe it is the proximity to his death, but all Tetsuya feels is the overwhelming love for the man at his side.

He writes their name in the moisture of his breath on the window. And suddenly he regrets that he didn’t carve it into every surface, every tree and table or piece of wood he encountered. He doesn’t mind if the world forgets him, but he doesn’t want their love to be forgotten as well.

Akashi - who brought him to all the places he wanted to see, who held his hand throughout the journey, who never let go no matter how rocky it got - deserves more than that.

“Akashi-kun should build me a mausoleum after all.” He says and watches their names disappear. “It doesn’t have to be big or impressive. And then when it is Akashi-kun’s time, he can be laid to rest with me.”

The world blurs in front of his eyes. It’s just as well.

“Alright,” says Akashi.

It doesn’t matter if he will, Tetsuya loves him infinitely just for saying that.

~*~

Akashi doesn’t go back to work. He’s taken off until the end of January and neither of them addresses what that means.

~*~

They spend the last of Tetsuya’s days in quiet. During the days they read together, take walks together or look at the picture album and reminisce. It hasn’t even been that long but Tetsuya wants to share all the little stories and anecdotes, the thoughts he had while taking certain pictures or what he had felt when looking at certain landmarks. And in return, Akashi shares his own thoughts and feelings.

It is selfish maybe, to want to impress himself so firmly into Akashi’s memories, but he can’t help it. He won’t be there much longer and while it is hard to be the one to die, he can’t imagine how it must be to be the one who’s left behind. If it’s selfish to want Akashi to have the best possible memories, so be it.

~*~

“What do you want for your birthday?” Akashi has his arms wrapped around Tetsuya and they lounge together in the big armchair in Akashi’s living room.

“Does that even need asking?” There are no tears left, only the dry sting in his eyes. He can’t even be angry that Akashi thought it necessary to ask this question.

Akashi rubs his thumb over the back of Tetsuya’s hand. “Yes,” he says eventually. There is something sad in his voice.

“I want to live with Akashi-kun.” He was wrong. There are still tears left. They drip down Tetsuya’s cheek sand onto their entwined hands. “I don’t want to die.” He whispers. Akashi presses his lips against Tetsuya’s temple. “There is still so much I want to do. I want to have children and see them grow up and have children of their own. I want to see Akashi-kun grow old with me. I want to own a dog and my own home with a garden I can plant things in.” The tears won’t stop flowing.

“It’s not fair.” He clings to Akashi as if it is his only lifeline. “Why do I have to die?”

But Akashi has no answer for him. He only holds him tighter and doesn’t let go.

~*~

Tetsuya wakes on his birthday. Everything seems the same, but he knows it is not. He doesn’t know when it will happen, but he knows today is the day he dies.

And there is nothing he can do.

Akashi is already awake. He has made breakfast and there is a small gift-wrapped package sitting net to Tetsuya’s plate.

“Happy birthday, my love.” Akashi stands and greets him with a kiss. Something is odd, but Tetsuya can’t place it.

“Thank you.” Tetsuya sits down at his seat. They eat. Tetsuya can’t help but glance at the clock every now and then. He doesn’t know when it will happen so the action in itself is pointless. But he can’t help it.

“Why don’t you open your present?” suggests Akashi once they’re done.

Tetsuya’s hands shake when he reaches for it. It’s small, a rectangular box wrapped in bright blue paper. Whatever it is, he’ll only have today to enjoy it. He opens the box and freezes. Inside is a velvet cushion and on top of it is a key with a small blue tag on it that reads an address.

“What is this?” He asks. He doesn’t dare to pick up the key. His voice is shaking.

“Your future.” Akashi says softly. He’s smiling but there is a sad note to it. A terrible suspicion dawns on Tetsuya.

“What did you do?” He whispers. He wants to yell, but he doesn’t seem to be able to raise his voice more than that. “What did you do?” His voice fails so he conveys with his eyes and expression how scared he is of what Akashi is implying. Scared and angry.

“What I had to do,” replies Akashi and then stands up. “Let me show you where it is.”

~*~

The house is beautiful. It has not only a garden but also a huge lawn with a few bushes and benches, ideal for a dog to play. A fence surrounds the property. The house itself has two stories and has enough space to house a large family.

Inside, a dog is waiting for them, nothing more than a puppy, but it wags its tail in excitement and tries to hop into Tetsuya’s arms upon sight.

“It reminded me of you,” says Akashi. Tetsuya looks at its eyes and has to agree. “It’s yours.” There is something he isn’t saying, but Tetsuya can read it between the lines, _for when I am no longer here._

The plaque under the doorbell reads his name. And only his name.

 

~*~

Akashi dies a week later.

~*~

Their photo album lies on the coffee table, like it’s meant to draw attention. Tetsuya has ignored it from the moment he moved in, hasn’t even touched for fear of something he can’t name. But now, dressed in his funeral finest, the book has a pull he can’t resist. He picks it up and opens it.

On the book’s inside binding it reads: _My dearest Tetsuya. I know you will hate me for what I have done. It is your due right to do so. The thought hurts, but if it eases your pain just a little, you may hate me as much as you want. I deserve it. I could claim I did this out of love, but the truth it I am simply selfish. I can’t bear to live in a world without Tetsuya. I can’t bear thinking that Tetsuya has been robbed of the life he deserves. I am sorry that I can’t fulfill all of your wishes. But I hope with all my heart that I got the rest of it right._

_And I will be selfish one last time. Don’t give up this life I gave you. Don’t give up the chance for a family and a happy life. It may not be with me, and I will never be able to make that up to you, but you will find someone, I am sure of that. I am not selfless enough to ask you to forget me, but don’t use me to shut someone else out. Give them a chance, the way you have given me a chance._

_And know I love you._

_Always and forever._

_\- Seijuurou_

 

 

 


End file.
